MOBILE operator MTC yesterday announced a whopping N$200 000 sponsorship for the hosting of Namibian Sport Awards.
The awards ceremony is scheduled for October 28 in Windhoek. Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC), which this year took over as the main sponsor of the event, yesterday presented a cheque of N$200 000 to the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC).At the handover, the chairman of the NSC Awards Committee, Carlie Schaefer, also announced the finalists in the different categories.Acting MTC managing director Bisey Uirab said the annual sports awards is a reward for people that are on the brink of reaching for the stars and their dreams.”It is our responsibility to mentor them, coach them and encourage them to hang in there even it seems impossible,” he said.The main categories are Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year, Junior Sportsman and Woman of the Year and Most Improved Sportsman.Others are Best Senior and Junior Sports Teams of the Year, Administrator of the Year, Coach or Trainer of the Year and the Umpire or Referee of the Year.There is also an award for the Best Development Programme of the Year and a new category for athletes with disabilities.In the Sportsman of the Year category, the frontrunners are Mannie Heymans (cycling) and Douw Calitz (lawn bowling).The other finalists are Japhet Utoni, who impressed on the boxing front this year, and endurance horse rider Armin van Biljon.Heymans is a prolific ambassador for his country in the international arena, especially in Europe where he races under the banner of Namibia, while Calitz recently won the African States Bowls Championships.For the Sportswoman of the Year, Namibia’s 800-metre champion Agnes Samaria is vying for the title against endurance rider Silke Bezuidenhout and Namibian hockey export Magreth Mengo.Mengo won the junior award last year, but her chances are good for the senior title this year, as she is now playing professional hockey in the Netherlands and also won a bronze medal with the Namibian team during the Four-Nations Tournament in South Africa this year.Samaria stands out because of her representation of Namibia on the international track-and-field circuit, including the World Athletics Championships.Bezuidenhout is a seasoned endurance rider who has scooped almost all national titles and also ended in favourable positions on the international front.The awards for the Junior Sportsman and Woman will be a challenge for the selectors, as they have to choose from seven nominations for the boys and ten for the girls.For the junior men, the finalists are Petrus Erasmus (rugby), Hitjivirue Kaanjuka (athletics), Kobus Jooste (endurance riding), Jurgens Strydom (tennis), JR Franks (gymnastics), Quinton Delie and Alex Ray (both swimming).The girls’ finalists are Tjipekapora Herunga (athletics), Izolde von Schauroth (endurance riding), Elriene de Villliers and Suzelle Davin (both tennis), Ramona Beukes and Shirley Gontes (both gymnastics), Jonay Briedenhann and Danniele van Zijl (both swimming), Keshia Kalomo (athletics) and Heletje van Staden (cycling).Four finalists have been nominated twice – Uutoni, Kalomo, Strydom and Deli are also in the running for the Most Improved Sportsperson award.Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC), which this year took over as the main sponsor of the event, yesterday presented a cheque of N$200 000 to the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC).At the handover, the chairman of the NSC Awards Committee, Carlie Schaefer, also announced the finalists in the different categories.Acting MTC managing director Bisey Uirab said the annual sports awards is a reward for people that are on the brink of reaching for the stars and their dreams.”It is our responsibility to mentor them, coach them and encourage them to hang in there even it seems impossible,” he said.The main categories are Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year, Junior Sportsman and Woman of the Year and Most Improved Sportsman.Others are Best Senior and Junior Sports Teams of the Year, Administrator of the Year, Coach or Trainer of the Year and the Umpire or Referee of the Year.There is also an award for the Best Development Programme of the Year and a new category for athletes with disabilities.In the Sportsman of the Year category, the frontrunners are Mannie Heymans (cycling) and Douw Calitz (lawn bowling).The other finalists are Japhet Utoni, who impressed on the boxing front this year, and endurance horse rider Armin van Biljon.Heymans is a prolific ambassador for his country in the international arena, especially in Europe where he races under the banner of Namibia, while Calitz recently won the African States Bowls Championships.For the Sportswoman of the Year, Namibia’s 800-metre champion Agnes Samaria is vying for the title against endurance rider Silke Bezuidenhout and Namibian hockey export Magreth Mengo.Mengo won the junior award last year, but her chances are good for the senior title this year, as she is now playing professional hockey in the Netherlands and also won a bronze medal with the Namibian team during the Four-Nations Tournament in South Africa this year.Samaria stands out because of her representation of Namibia on the international track-and-field circuit, including the World Athletics Championships.Bezuidenhout is a seasoned endurance rider who has scooped almost all national titles and also ended in favourable positions on the international front.The awards for the Junior Sportsman and Woman will be a challenge for the selectors, as they have to choose from seven nominations for the boys and ten for the girls.For the junior men, the finalists are Petrus Erasmus (rugby), Hitjivirue Kaanjuka (athletics), Kobus Jooste (endurance riding), Jurgens Strydom (tennis), JR Franks (gymnastics), Quinton Delie and Alex Ray (both swimming).The girls’ finalists are Tjipekapora Herunga (athletics), Izolde von Schauroth (endurance riding), Elriene de Villliers and Suzelle Davin (both tennis), Ramona Beukes and Shirley Gontes (both gymnastics), Jonay Briedenhann and Danniele van Zijl (both swimming), Keshia Kalomo (athletics) and Heletje van Staden (cycling). Four finalists have been nominated twice – Uutoni, Kalomo, Strydom and Deli are also in the running for the Most Improved Sportsperson award.
